The best restaurants in North Hertfordshire East of England

So decided to stay here as meeting friends for the evening and neither my wife nor I wanted to drive and have a few drinks. I accept its an old building and times are tough so could deal with the tired decor, paint peeling etc. Even the rubbish left behind the tea and coffee stand left by the cleaner. However I always iron my clothes at a hotel whilst I'm there. Ok, iron was in room but not a steam iron. No good if you have creased shirt and trainers without steam. Went to reception but they couldn't provide a steam iron. Instead they gave me a hand steamer. Ok, better than nothing so plugged it in and it didn't even work. Decided to try the none steam iron but once hot it started marking my nice white shirt as the plate had some horrible stuff stuck to it. Ended up having to drive to argos to pick up a steam iron so I could go out for the evening. Never have I ever not had a room in a hotel without a steam iron. Thought reception could at least find me one. I know this may seem trivial. But when you have planned to go out and have to go and purchase an iron which should be provided then it makes the whole experience a poor and stressful one.

I just wanted to say how lucky this Costa is to have such brilliant staff. Every time I come in, they’re so welcoming and friendly. You can tell they genuinely care, whether it’s making the perfect coffee, having a quick chat, or just creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. This team is definitely the heart of the place, and they make every visit a pleasure. Costa, you’ve got a gem of a crew here!

Best fried chicken, and service! Thank you so much! And loved the music playing too! Will definitely be back. Ed came up from London for our chicken George extravaganza! Jess and Edward

The Guinness is the blocks just the best i have tasted for years 👌💯and just got better un real

Brilliant meal on Friday night. I had the special pork with savoy cabbage & Potato gratin . Which was amazingly present and was unbelievable delicious. My husband had a thin crust pizza which was really tasty and a good amount of toppings. The pub was busy and had great atmosphere. Highly recommend

Absolutely love going here for food, beautifully served, great healthy food and fast service. Would definitely recommend.

The Raven is a fab place in a fab location and should be an all round rocking good time…sadly not. If you are vegetarian you are going to struggle - I would definitely not label this venue as vegetarian friendly at all. There is very, very little choice on the menu for a vegetarian - even less for a vegan. Not even the most simple of vegetarian fare - the plant based burger! The meals we ordered were affordable and seemed to be pre prepared microwaved dinners and the upside of that is that they appear before you really, really quickly. I’d not return.

We came in for lunch recently and sat outside. The food itself was great but what let our experience down was the customer service. We had two servers and one was very attentive and friendly but the other was abrupt and unwelcoming. We felt rushed to order and also rushed to leave as they were quick to clear our table and lingered with a cloth and spray until we left. A shame considering the food was lovely, a menu we would be happy to go back and try other food and drink items with the garden having massive potential in warm summer evenings. However, the standard of customer service would make us reconsider.

The food was nice but the portions were not generous for the price. The fish and chips had about 10 chips on the plate! The person serving us was quite grumpy and kept moaning to customers that "I'm on my own" - ok, but that's not our fault!! Tell your boss not every customer, like it's our fault! There wasn't much choice on the mend and there was no caribbean food.

Great venue, good service, good coffee Food unfortunately lets it down even though not a food focus cafe Sandwiches have got smaller since i came here last year Would not rush back to eat

Our friend who is a disabled pensioner and regular customer had a hospital appointment and was taken by a hospital driver arrived back 25 minutes before opening. She had lunch arranged with friends the driver knocked and the landlord told him not opening for 25 minutes. Ended up with an eighty plus disabled pensioner waiting outside in this weather for that time. You could have at least let the lady have a seat inside you did not have to serve her. You should be ashamed of yourself and feel totally embarrassed. I hope that people read about your lack of hospitality, when we come down to visit you have lost our custom

Great place, and amazing food and staff. Perfect place to relax after a long bike ride. Other bikers also do enjoy

A cafe but much more . An excellent menu . I had vegetable lasagna with salad and chips , my friend had scampi chips and salad . Good portions very tasty. Apple pie and custard to follow also very nice . Staff very polite and the cafe was spotless.

First visit to The Jester... Friendly welcome. Quick & efficient service. Food: Superb roast, a well presented hearty plate. Chicken stuffed with spinach, roasties, Yorkshire pudding with vegetables on the side. My partner had the Roast Pork which was equally tasty. Honey comb cheesecake didn’t touch the sides! A delight not to have to cook Sunday lunch, thank you all. We will be back 🙂

Earlier today I dropped my dog at the Groomer in Vanstone Parks Garden Centre, my car to the car wash guys then went into the cafe after a look around the garden centre. It was just after noon. I ordered an omelette with salad and crisps with a pot of tea. Paid for my order and sat outside with my plant pot which had my order number on. The waitress came out with a pot of tea, going well so far! When the waitress brought my order it was an omelette on a rather large plate! I asked where the salad was and was advised this it the breakfast menu, you don’t get anything with it then walked away. I thought I’d read the menu incorrectly until the lady who also sat outside was served an omelette with enough salad you could say it had its own garden! What a pity the service wasn’t a patch on it as when the previous owners/ managers ran the Orchard Cafe. The Groomer did a lovely job on my dog and the car valets made my car sparkle. Just been let down by the cafe’ won’t be going there again